Reviews

Operation Darkness

But I didn't enjoy playing Operation Darkness because of the graphics or sound. The gameplay itself is quite solid. Over the course of the game, your story characters will each develop powers that are above and beyond what your straight-from-the-barracks recruited soldiers can bring to the table, and finding ways to utilize these characters on the battlefield is a lot of fun. You have to balance out things like how much equipment to bring to a fight, as encumbered characters take slower actions. If you like to get into the nitty-gritty of combat systems and play with numbers, there's a lot to work with here.

The game's setting also kept me interested for quite a while. You'd never believe it from the game's outlandish premise, but Operation Darkness actually does a very good job of steeping its world in rich historical accuracy. You'll encounter characters like Michael Wittman, one of Germany's greatest tank commanders. You'll encounter Rommel's Afrika Korps, and even take part in the failed July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Between each major story mission you'll be treated to some exposition accompanied by black-and-white stock wartime footage. Operation Darkness walks the line between fantasy and real-world history in a way that is at once both silly and thought-provoking. The voice work hinders the storytelling at times, however, thanks to the awful accents and overdone acting.

It really bears repeating that Operation Darkness is a technically flawed and generally unattractive game. The camera is insufferable to work with, so you'll have to settle for the mini-map if you want any semblance of an overview of the battlefield. Trees and buildings will always get in the way, and movement can't be undone, so you'll often find that you've moved into a position only to find that line of sight is blocked by a slender tree or other object.

Cooperative multiplayer support is a nice bonus, but availability is a factor as it can be difficult finding other players online. In this mode you'll take on the game's side missions with up to three partners. While you don't get to keep any levels earned, you will unlock new items for the shop in your single-player campaign with each victory.

Despite its faults, I still enjoyed my time with Operation Darkness. It's not quite as engrossing a turn-based strategy experience as Final Fantasy Tactics, but its unique setting kept my interest long enough for me to discover the fun that lay beneath the unpleasant exterior. Be warned, you'll have to really be in love with turn-based strategy and the quirky mish-mash of themes present here in order to appreciate this game.